A TALKING DOG? Sit, shake and speak are some of the first tricks we teach our dogs. Stella, a blue heeler-catahoula mix from San Diego, can sit and shake with the best of them and when it comes to speaking, this clever girl does a bit more than bark.
How Speech-Language Pathologists Teach Dogs to Speak
Stella has been learning how to “talk” for about a year and a half. Christina uses the same techniques to teach Stella that she would use on a child — a lot of time, repetition and practice. Stella’s abilities have surpassed even Christina’s expectations. “Together we can decide how to best live a happy, playful and beautiful life because Stella actually has a say in what happens,” Christina wrote on Instagram. “I am forever grateful for this shared language between us!” Stella’s determination to communicate highlights the bond between dogs and humans. Our canine companions truly want to connect with us; we just have to be ready to listen. If you want to hear Stella “speak” for yourself, check out her Instagram page or visit HungerForWords.com.
_____________________________ Write your name here and fax the completed puzzle to 860-533-0585, send it via empty delivery box or bring it to the shop and receive 10% off your next order . Limit one per customer. Expires Jan. 31, 2020. WORDSEARCH AQUARIUS CHAMPAGNE PAUL SNOW ALISON CAPRICORN Christina started an Instagram account, @hunger4words, to document Stella’s progress. In November, she uploaded a video that showed Stella reacting to a strange sound outside. After her barking didn’t get the reaction the dog wanted, Stella went to her board. In the video, Stella pressed “outside,” followed by the “look” button nine times, before pressing “come” and “outside” again. Within two weeks of being posted, the video had been viewed over 550,000 times. When she was a puppy, Stella was adopted by Christina Hunger, a speech-language pathologist. Christina has used her expertise to teach Stella some pretty incredible tricks. Christina built a soundboard with 29 buttons that play audio recordings of 29 different words. Using this soundboard, Christina has been able to teach Stella how to “talk” to humans. The words programmed into the board include “outside,” “look,” “ball” and, Stella’s favorite word, “park.” By pressing her paw to a button, Stella is able to communicate what she wants, selecting the right words and phrases for Christina to understand. For example, when Stella wants to go outside, she goes to her board and presses “outside.”
... continued from Cover
Then on Sunday, we brought him to the dog park. Amigo had never been to a dog park before, so at first, he didn’t know what to do with himself. He spent a while sniffing and assessing the situation, but by the end, he was playing with the other dogs and having a great time. Ali and I were super excited to bring Amigo home with us. He’s spent the last eight years as a service animal. Now he can retire and just enjoy being a dog again. Since he’s an older Lab, we know he’s going to need extra TLC. He has a little hitch in his giddyup. That’s okay, because we’re going to take good care of him. Plus, we’ve got our house veterinarians on call! Audriana was thrilled to hear that we adopted another dog. She and Bryen couldn’t wait to meet Amigo when they visited over the holidays. Amigo is a great fit for our family. He was a terrific Seeing Eye dog. Now it’s up to us to make sure he has a terrific retirement.
MIDNIGHT STEPHANIE TOAST CELEBRATE FREEZING RESOLUTION NEW YEAR WINTER
860-533-0588 3
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online